How costly would a Game 5 Heat loss be?

ASK IRA:

May 8, 2012|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

MIAMI — Q: I know the Heat have beaten the Knicks six out of seven games this season, but the pressure is really going to be on the Heat on Wednesday night to close out this series. I know I am pessimistic, but I can see this series going seven games. -- Jeffrey.

A: Yup, you don't want to go back to the Garden, where they've re-loaded the confetti bins. Wednesday will offer some insight into whether the Heat are as focused as they were through the opening three rounds last season, when they didn't allow a series to go beyond five games. Lose Wednesday and the Heat could be facing a mere one-day turnaround to a Sunday open of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Pacers.

Q: You would think that the Knicks just evened the series with how our fans are acting. The Knicks won a playoff game at home in the Garden. We are up 3-1 in the series, and home to close it out. The over-reaction of this fan base amazes me. Relax people. -- Aaron.

A: Just fans being fans. At least they're interested and not asking who the Heat will take in the lottery (the revised, four-years-too-late answer: anyone but Michael Beasley).

Q: Why is it taking so long to know who officially is the MVP of the league? -- Luis, Plantation.

A: That announcement should come during the second round of the playoffs, possibly as early as next week, and it will be LeBron James.

Q: I feel bad for both guys (maybe more so Chauncey Billups), but the two potential Mario Chalmers replacements -- Billups and Baron Davis -- never made it to the finish line. Maybe too old is too old, after all. I would still consider Steve Nash, though. -- Julio.

A: The difference is Nash almost seems ageless. Baron and Billups grew old in front of our very eyes. But your overall point is well made, that it actually might have behooved the Heat to have to work with a younger more-durable talent all along.

Q: It is suspicious that Samson (Greek mythology) whose strength comes from hishair reflects how Udonis Haslem is playing. Since those dreads have been cut, he has seemed to have lost something. -- David, Austin, Texas.

A: The only recourse at the moment would be to get him extensions or a weave.